New Library Topic: K-12 Online Education

With the dismal state of public K-12 education, parents and students alike are desperate for options. Private schools, charters, vouchers, and homeschooling aside, online learning may present a viable alternative to traditional public education. This is especially true for those students with little or no access to good brick-and-mortar schools due to geographic or financial limitations, or those who favor flexibility, individual attention, and personalized instruction.

As Dan Lips of the Heritage Foundation points out:

Online learning could address main discrepancies in American education--the disparate access to high-quality teachers and instruction caused by socioeconomic and geographic differences. A child's chances of attending a school with high-quality teachers largely depend on where she lives, which is shaped by her parents' financial means. Online learning could give all students, regardless of where they live, access to the best instructors.

And, he is not the only one recognizing the benefits of online education. Even the U.S. Department of Education found in its research that "on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction."

For those interested in a glimpse of what online education may look like, check out this short video produced by K12Inc., a leading provider of online curriculum.

The new library topic on online education is available here, and other topics can be found in our library. Special thanks to our intern Annie Holmquist who created this topic! If you are interested in becoming an intern at IT, contact us here.